


Concrete Promises

by xButtons



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Explicit Language, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-02-26 08:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2645525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xButtons/pseuds/xButtons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gamzee promised to come back to visit Karkat in New York. However, Gamzee had other plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bus Stop

Karkat's breath shook while waiting for his best friend at the bus stop. Every year he did, even though he knew Gamzee wouldn't show. Gamzee moved away two years ago exactly, for a job opportunity.

Around the corner, there was his second closest friend waiting with him so that he wouldn't look like a loser. That's what his friend said anyway, he could care less though. Waiting for his idiot best friend was more of a hassle than he intended anyway.

In the distance they could see the headlights glaring through the thick darkness and pulling up to the stop. A pit of anxiety sat in Karkat's stomach. 'hopefully that bastard gets off that bus.' Karkat thought to himself while the door opened and dozens of people filed out.

He scanned everyone's face for that stupid grin. Yes, he knew exactly the features on his face were. He only spent three years living with the guy.

Dave was scrolling through his iPhone when he heard Karkat curse under his breath. 

"God fucking damn it, Damn it, damn it." Karkat crossed his arms and started pacing.

"Hold on, there's still more people. Bound to be a stupid clown in there somewhere." Dave could care less about Gamzee, but he knew Karkat would continue to gripe about it.

He wasn't there. Karkat was still insistent that he was in that damned bus and ran up to the door, filing through all of the strangers. 

"HEY WATCH IT." yelled an old wrinkled man. His liver spots framed his bulging forehead as his brows furrowed at the young man.

Karkat glared at him, prying the doors back open. The bus driver glanced over at him, continuing to try to shut the doors.

"Did you have a tall guy with a huge scar across his face on this bus?" He huffed at the driver.

"Son," he said as he stuck a cigarette in his teeth "Do you know how many people ride this bus a day? I probably had a lot a kids with bumps and bruises all over them sit on here."

"NO!" Karkat screamed. "HE SAID HE WOULD BE ON HIS WAY BACK. THAT COCK GUZZLING TWIG."

"Whoa there, them's kids over there." the bus driver lit.

Karkat jumped off the stairs, grating his teeth. Dave on the other hand walked up to him and grabbed his arm to walk back to their apartment.

"I don't understand." 

"Maybe his dumb ass was getting high in a gas station bathroom and missed the bus?" Dave suggested, stuffing his hands back into his coat pockets.

Karkat snatched his arm back away from Dave. 'maybe tomorrow. hopefully he just missed the fucking bus.' he hoped.

Soon they were back at the front steps of their apartment. They walked up slowly, stairs being frozen over, and stuck the key in the handle. 

"Want me to stay?" The blond proposed while Karkat walked up the steps.

Karkat looked over his shoulder and furrowed his eyebrows before letting up.

"Fine."

The door creaked open when Karkat twisted the key and the doorknob. Inside was a small living room. Dave wrinkled his nose at the sour smell that hit his nostrils. Karkat didn't seem to notice Dave's agony and headed off to the small kitchen refrigerator.

"Pop?" 

"Nah. Hey what that's fucking smell man? Are you culturing some biology experiment in the closet or something?" 

Before he could say anything else, he felt a can hit him in the back of the head. 

"What? I'm not even kidding you, how are you breathing in here." Dave covered his nose and mouth with his coat sleeve. Karkat slumped down on the couch, opening the can. A silence filtered throughout the air before any of them spoke. 

Every thought both of them had was thrown to the backs of their heads. Neither of them wanted to say anything. Dave was having too much trouble comprehending the stench than the well being of Karkat's best friend. He didn't understand why Gamzee was so dear to him anyway. 

Karkat took out his phone, scanning through his contacts desperately, and holding his gaze on Gamzee's number. He was contemplating calling the number, knowing how often Gamzee even answered his phone; which was hardly ever. However, he clicked call anyway. 

The dial tone rung, sound waves vibrating throughout the room. Just as he expected, no answer. He forcefully dropped it on the coffee table, hitting it against a small box filled with stupid knickknacks and condoms. Of course this never set in his mind as odd, for how many times he's had to lock himself in his bedroom when Gamzee had "company".

Suddenly, his phone started to ring and he answered it immediately. 

"Yeah?" 

"Bro." 

Karkat's heart skipped around with mixed emotions. He didn't know whether to be mad or excited but kept his nonchalant demeanor anyway. 

"What." 

"Look man I won't be back for another few nights. Shit's got me stranded down in D.C. and they detainin'me." there was a pause before Gamzee continued. "They up an think I got somethin' to do with some idiot tryin' to smuggle crack up their crack."

"Wait. What?" 

Of course there was always some senseless story tied in with him. Always. There never could just be a regular day. In fact, if there was a supposed 'regular' day, Karkat would go completely insane. The insane basically kept him sane. 

So now, Dave was passed out. He had the collar of his shirt over his nose and his hands shoved in his pockets. Karkat stood up and slipped into his room to talk to him privately.

"Why would they fucking think that?" this was an odd question to ask, considering he's talking to a Makara after all.

"I don't know man, all I gettin' to know is them others they're frisking aren't white boys."

Karkat sighed so hard, he had to take a huge breath big enough to refill his lungs bottom up. He pressed his fingers on his forehead before answering.

"Are you SURE that's the case? I mean you're fucked up 99% of the time." 

"Haha. Yeah....Maybe."

"Gamzee." Karkat didn't know what else to say, which was a first. 

"Alright, alright the real reason is because I all ran into an old friend of mine. No drugs involved I promise." 

Karkat heard a stupid voice on the other end yell something obscene.

"Right, and I actually fell the fuck to sleep these past few months."

Another pause made it self comfortable while both parties figured out what to say. To say the least, Karkat was actually glad that Gamzee was most likely getting himself wasted and high as fuck than something brutal happen to him. 

He hung up after letting Gamzee go back to his bong-fest, and flopped onto his futon. Dave was still out on the couch, but was wide ass awake. 

He figured he could sneak some food without Karkat caring. The floor creaked under his feet before he crossed over to the kitchen and he gulped. It's like he was afraid of "little ol' Karkat" or something, he thought to himself. 

As he expected, the only thing in there was "pop" or whatever they called it up north. In the freezer, there was a jackpot full of frozen dinners, burritos and other unhealthy shit shoved and crammed in there. The pizza rolls were probably the safest. 

He pulled out a plate from a cabinet and poured half of them in the center and threw them in the microwave. This of course caught Karkat's attention, even though he could care less right now. Dave was expecting a small rage fairy to come and ruin is pizza roll fantasies, but was kind of relieved to see he was probably passed out.


	2. Orange Nugget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terezi decides to keep in contact with Karkat instead of Dave

The morning light shone through the crevices of the blinds. Patterns of light playing around Karkat's wall and onto his face. His eyes cracked open only to fling himself around to find the darkness again. Dave on the other hand fell asleep with his shades on, even though the light didn't sneak in that much in the front room.

Dave didn't finish all of the pizza rolls. The plate he set on his stomach was now on the floor, upside down and the pizza rolls fell under the table and couch. Of course, he didn't feel or hear it. Dave was the worlds deepest sleeper believe it or not.

Karkat decided it was time to wake up, even if his stomach was turning in on itself. He hated anxiety. Especially when it got this bad. One of his best friends had broken yet ANOTHER promise. So much for these "concrete promises" Gamzee told him his promises were. Bull shit.

Their day wasn't eventful in the least. Dave decided to stay until dusk, while ordering one of everything off the menu for take-out. Karkat didn't want any of it.

"Yo, you know you can have some right?" he said, popping an orange chicken nugget in his mouth.

Karkat looked at him through his peripheral and lowered his eyebrows.

"No." he was sitting on the floor, up against the couch with his arms wrapped around his knees.

Dave put the container down and fixed his bangs.

"Are you still mad about that dingus?"

"No."

At this point, Dave was ready to scream. He hated how stubborn this asshole was, why is he still friends with him he wondered. Without showing how irritated he was, he slid down from the couch onto the floor. Karkat glared at him and scooted away.

"I don't want to eat, damn it." he snarled.

"I wasn't going to force you? Unless you want me to feed you like you're a child."

The light from Karkat's phone illuminated the dim room and they both glanced up at each other. Karkat punched his pass code in, and swiped to the menu. The message wasn't from Gamzee however.

"Well?" the other boy asked. He picked his orange chicken box back up and was sucking the rest of the nuggets down.

"It's Terezi." Karkat set it down before standing up to hydrate himself.

"For real?" he almost choked.

The look on Karkat's face was twisted with confusion.

"Yeah?"

Dave readjusted himself to regain his "cool". He hadn't heard that name in years, it seemed. He wondered if that douche bag ran into her and now she's calling for help; little did Karkat know, though.

As Karkat headed to the fridge, Dave hastily reached for the phone. The passcode screen showed after he swiped it. All the number combinations he entered were all wrong, even the other's favorite number.

Karkat came back, bringing almost a whole case of pop back to the couch.

"Wow, someone's really damn thirsty right?" Dave sneered.

"Yeah, that would be you."

"What."

"You want to talk to her or not?" Karkat popped open a can, and chugged a few gulps. "I can write her number down okay?"

Dave shook his head and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Look, Strider. I don't know what the big deal is. It's almost like you guys broke up and now neither of you have each other's numbers anymore. Are you *seriously* scared to talk to her again? She's not that horrifying."

Dave didn't want to tell Karkat. Nobody did. Especially since both Gamzee and Terezi were also really close to Karkat. To put it bluntly, Karkat had no idea what happened. Dave wanted to tell him badly, but he promised her he wouldn't tell. It was hard enough trying to get Karkat to stop talking at all, and if he slipped it out, Dave wouldn't get any peace until he leaves.

The screen of Karkat's phone gleamed again. Karkat saw Dave's gaze not leaving the screen and stood up, while walking to another room before picking it up.

"What?" Karkat mumbled into the transceiver. "You know he's freaking out so much his balls are receding up his asshole because you texted me right?"

There was an instant bout of laughter right after the last word he said. He had to pull his phone away though, to check if he left it on speaker.

Terezi finished laughing. "I half expected that to be HONEST with you."

Karkat turned the volume down before putting it back to his ear. They both talked about their current situations and their lives. Basically general small talk. Before he hung up, he decided to ask why his friend was acting so strange in the first place. Dave and Terezi ended their relationship mutually, there was no hardship involved at all. She responded like she normally would and they both hung up. This, however, didn't satisfy his curiosity and decided to actually try to pry something out of the hardened blond more.

"Hey Dave..." he started, "So I was wondering."

Dave didn't answer, he was too immersed in his stupid retro record scratching on his ipod that he was tuning him out.

"HEY. YOU." Karkat decided to shout. "EARTH TO DAVY JONES."

Dave cringed at that nickname, and continued to ignore him.

"WOW. IT'S ALMOST LIKE YOU INVITED YOURSELF TO STAY ANOTHER DAY, AND YOU SHOW ME HOW LITTLE YOU CARE ABOUT MY INDISPUTABLE PATIENCE." he cleared his throat. "TEREZI SAYS HI, BY THE FUCKING WAY."

Dave stood up and ripped an earpod out from one of his ears.

"What?"

"Did you hear any of that?" he scowled, turning his head to look up at him.

"Nah. Anyway, I think I'm out okay?" Dave started gathering his things and shoved himself into his down-feather coat before he started for the door.

Karkat mouth twisted with confusion, but didn't waste his breath furthering his fight with Dave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is super short sorry bout that

**Author's Note:**

> Im still trying to figure out the whole layout of this will be. Chapters will come in slower than expected, please be patient ;; (also constructive criticism is allowed, especially on my tenses and grammar)


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